Puppy Danvers
by iFlipForRizzles
Summary: Cat has finally agreed to let Carter get a puppy, and she demands Kara help him train it. "But, why do you want my help?" "Well God knows I don't have the time myself, and his nanny will be in Metropolis for her grandmother's birthday. Besides, you're perfect for the job, considering you're basically a puppy already."
1. Puppy Danvers

**Damn, I am so bad at getting these done on time. (Though, it is still Saturday where I live.) And I'm still putting off homework to finish it.**

"Keira, what are your plans for this weekend?"

Kara stopped short in her approach to Cat's desk. Her eyes bulged and a tiny squeak escaped her throat.

 _This is it!_ a voice cried out in her head, before her rational mind could catch up. _She's asking me out!_

 _Don't be ridiculous,_ her voice of reason spoke up. _Of course she isn't. Cat Grant will never see me that way._

"Um, well I –"

"I'll tell you what your plans are. You see, I've finally agreed to let Carter get a puppy. His therapist suggested it, and he's been begging me for years. So this weekend, you are going to stay with us and help him train it."

Kara's mouth dropped open at the unexpected information. Of all the reasons Cat Grant might have had for wanting her assistant's weekend open, that was definitely not one Kara had considered.

Kara's surprise quickly turned to pure excitement. _A PUPPY!_

Cat rolled her eyes at the blindingly bright smile stretching over the girl's face. Her heart most certainly did not swell at its appearance.

"A puppy? That's so exciting!" An audible sigh left Cat's lips. She honestly couldn't comprehend how Kara could always be so full of positive energy. It sometimes exhausted Cat just to observe. "But, why do you want my help?"

"Well God knows I don't have the time myself, and his nanny will be in Metropolis for her grandmother's birthday. Besides, you're perfect for the job, considering you're basically a puppy already."

Kara cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed and eyes wide, like this notion confused her. Cat fought the irrational instinct to pat the girl on the head. "What? How am I like –"

Cat cut her off again. "You will be at my house at exactly 8 o'clock Saturday morning. There is a reputable breeder who lives only a half an hour outside of the city. We will go and pick it up, and you will spend the rest of the day and all of Sunday at our house. You will come into work with me Monday morning and the nanny will help him with it after school from there."

Kara gaped at her boss for a moment. "How long have you been working this out?"

"Since I paid the breeder two months ago," Cat replied simply, attention already back on her work.

"And you're just telling me now, why?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't have anything else to do on the weekends. Was I wrong?"

 _Besides saving the city from various destructions and crimes? Not really._ Kara remained silent.

"Exactly. Now get back to work, I don't pay you to stand around gawking at me."

S

"Does she have a name yet?" Kara inquired from the seat across from Carter.

They took the town car (the look on the breeder's face when they pulled up had been priceless). His new puppy was lying asleep in his lap, his hand running over her fluffy golden fur in a continuous motion. He was staring very intently at her face.

"What about 'Kara'?" he suggested, grinning at her mischievously. Kara rolled her eyes.

She was surprised at the suggestion, considering it took the puppy a considerable amount of time to warm up to her. All animals were that way at first, despite how much she loved them. They could smell her otherworldly-ness and it made them nervous.

"You've been talking to your mom about me, haven't you?" Cat glanced up from her phone to glare at Kara. Carter smirked at them both. An idea came to Kara as she observed the puppy. "If you really want to name her after me, what about 'Ellie'?"

"Why Ellie?" he asked curiously.

"Um, well, when I was born my last name was El... lis." She dragged out the invented last half of her family name, tacking it on as she realized that just 'El' might raise a few questions. It wasn't exactly a common surname.

Cat's expression softened considerably, as it did whenever Kara mentioned her family. Carter had already turned his attention back to his new friend, eyeing her shrewdly. "Ellie. I like it," he declared.

Cat was dropped off at the house while Kara went with Carter and the puppy to the pet store. Carter had already ordered the essentials online earlier in the week, but Ellie still needed toys, a collar, and a tag.

He chose red for the collar, _like Supergirl's cape_ , he explained with a blush. Kara did her best not to gush and tease the boy. He put Kara's number on the tag – gold colored and diamond shaped, the closest he could find to Supergirl's crest – reasoning that Cat would just send Kara to get the dog if she ever got out anyway. "Carter," she cooed, no longer able to contain herself. His blush darkened, but he accepted her arm around his shoulder.

They got back to the house to find Cat had made them each a sandwich – not nearly enough for Kara, but she couldn't exactly tell her that – and they spent the afternoon setting up all the puppy stuff and taking her out on the hour while Cat worked from her home office.

Alex called around four with a Supergirl emergency.

"Hey Carter, I have to take this call real quick. Will you two be okay for a little while?"

"Of course. I'm not a little kid, Kara."

She smiled indulgently at him before hurrying out the front door.

S

Kara was gone a lot longer than she'd intended to be, so she stopped at a pizza place on her way back and brought three large pizzas with various toppings back to the house. She opened the door to a greeting of "KEIRA!" and winced, wondering what she could possibly have done to upset her boss.

"Where have you been?" she demanded when Kara entered the kitchen, completely open to the living room where Cat stood, livid.

"I – my sister called. I went outside for some privacy, and got hungry, so I thought I'd go get dinner." She smiled uncertainly, holding up the three large boxes as evidence.

"And you didn't think to warn me that you were leaving?" Kara grimaced, still unclear as to the cause of her boss's ire. "Carter stepped away to use the bathroom, and mini-Keira decided she should do the same." Cat pointed to a spot on the floor and Kara's eyes widened with fear. "Clean. It. Up."

So Cat and Carter dug into the pizza while Kara got to work on the soiled carpet. (She may have used a tiny bit of super strength and speed to get the job done faster.) She looked longingly at the hardwood floors of the kitchen before sending an accusatory glare at Ellie asleep in her crate. "You couldn't have gone ten feet to the left?"

Of course there was still plenty of pizza left when she got to the table. She tried not to alarm the Grants too much with her inhuman appetite, but she was still hungry from their light lunch.

"Where on Earth do you put it all?" Cat wondered, sounding amazed. Kara shrugged in response, laughing slightly around her mouthful of food at the phrasing.

"Just good genes, I guess." She grabbed another slice to make her point.

S

Carter went to bed with assurances from Kara that she'd get the puppy to sleep. They'd set up a gate in the door of the main bathroom, laid down newspaper, and put the puppy crate in the corner.

She slept alright for a few hours, but around midnight she started crying. Kara waited several minutes to see if she'd settle herself. When she didn't Kara slipped out of the guest room and down the hall, hoping to quiet the puppy before she woke Cat up. She could only imagine how much trouble they'd be in if that happened.

She found Carter propped up on the wall by the door, holding Ellie in his lap, his eyes blinking tiredly.

"Hey," Kara whispered, stepping over the gate and seating herself by the boy. "Why aren't you in your room?"

"I felt bad that she was all alone," he explained sweetly. "Why aren't you?"

"I didn't want her to wake up your mom." Carter nodded, understanding completely. "And I guess I felt bad too."

Between the two of them petting and scratching her Ellie stopped whining, and only a few moments later Carter fell asleep on Kara's shoulder. Kara's head fell on top of his mop of hair not long after, and her eyes slipped shut.

That's how Cat found them after only a few minutes, when she wandered down the hall to investigate the sudden quiet. Her heart clenched tightly at the sight of her two favorite people snuggled up with an admittedly adorable puppy, and in the dark of night Cat didn't have to fight the warm Kara-related smile that spread across her face. She bent down to run her fingers through Carter's hair, combing it away from his face, before carefully moving to do the same to Kara. She checked that the young woman's breathing was even before letting the tips of her fingers slide over the skin of Kara's cheek.

Her eyes moved down to the puppy, who was now sitting up and watching her expectantly. Cat rolled her eyes, mostly at herself for indulging her softer side, before reaching down and picking up the little monster, cradling her to her chest.

Hearing Cat's footsteps retreat in the direction of the living room, Kara's eyes snapped open and she grinned wide. She pressed a hand to her face, the skin still tingling from Cat's affection.

 **This was inspired by my parents telling me this week that WE are getting a puppy! Apparently writing is also how I process positive emotions.**


	2. Puppy Training

**HAPPY RENEWAL DAY! Here, have a puppy. Have two.**

 **Fun fact, I looked back at 1x05 and it turns out the nanny's name is Ella. Since that's just a little too close to the puppy's name, let's all pretend she never came back after she broke her leg storing Cat's summer sandals, and the one I mention here is someone different.**

"Ellie, sit," Kara commanded, though that might be too strong a word. Requested, or suggested might be more appropriate. Her tone was soft and babying. Bending over, Kara placed her hand on the four-month-old puppy's lower back and gently nudged her down. "Good girl." Kara straightened up, and the dog immediately rose to all fours again. Kara groaned. "No, Ellie, stay!"

"Sit," a quiet, firm voice sounded in the room, and both Ellie and Kara immediately sank to the floor. Carter giggled from his seat on the couch.

Cat had wandered over a few minutes earlier to tell them it was time to go. They had their final puppy training class that afternoon. When she caught site of Kara's attempts in the living room, she decided they had a little time to spare. She leaned against the entrance to the room and secretly observed the practice session. Finally she decided to just put the poor girl out of her misery, uttering the command as she stepped fully into the room.

Cat rolled her eyes, trying not to adore Kara sitting on the floor like a second puppy. "Not you."

"Right." Kara blushed, adjusting her glasses as she stood up again. This time Ellie stayed sitting, hardly sparing Kara a glance as she waited for Cat's next command. Kara glared at the dog for her betrayal.

"You need to be firm with her. She needs to know you're in charge."

"You're so much better at it than me," Kara said. Cat bit her tongue to hold back any suggestive remarks.

"You suffer from the same problem as my son," was her response instead.

"Hey!" he cried out in protest. Cat sent him a pointed look.

"You're too soft with her, both of you, and so she thinks she can walk all over you."

Carter was great at taking care of the puppy. He brushed her growing fur daily, her teeth weekly, and walked her every day after school. He never had to be reminded to feed her, or take her out for bathroom breaks. But the second she acted up he was at a loss for what to do.

Cat did her best, but she felt like she was falling behind with work (she wasn't) and that was unacceptable. She'd been leaving the office early to pick up Carter from school for the past several weeks, until she could find a new nanny.

 _"As it turns out, the girl is allergic to dogs," Cat explained to Kara on the Tuesday after Carter got the puppy. "So I will be picking him up from school and working the afternoons from my home office until I can find a suitable replacement. I will need you to go with him to training classes on Saturdays, starting next weekend. And yes, I will pay you overtime." She sighed on the last part as if this was a great personal sacrifice for her._

 _Kara opened her mouth several times, closing it with each new bit of information she processed. Finally she asked, "Why, um, why didn't she say anything about her allergies before?" Cat ignored her, taking a purposeful bite of her sushi. It only took a second for Kara to figure out the answer. "You didn't tell her you were getting a dog, did you." Technically it was a question, but the inflection made it a statement. Cat took a large sip of water from her glass, swirling it around in her mouth. Kara shook her head, wondering if she would ever cease to be surprised by her boss's eccentric personality._

 _She hoped not._

 _"I'll make sure everything runs smoothly while you're gone," she assured. "And I can go with Carter to the classes._

In the end Cat had ended up going with them both anyway.

After only the first session Carter told her the instructor had spent more time with him and Kara than anyone else in the class. He would offer them advice, and then repeat it to the group.

"You can't be afraid to scold her if she exhibits bad behavior."  
"Be clear and concise when you're teaching her a new trick."  
"Only reward her when she does exactly what you want."

Cat knew she should probably let her son learn this on his own, but she wasn't exactly keen on all of her possessions being destroyed by his pet monster in the process. She decided someone around her house—not that Kara was _always_ around her house, that would be ridiculous and possibly inappropriate—should know how to handle the beast when she got out of control. Cat definitely wasn't going with just to see all of the puppies playing together. What a waste of her time that would be.

Kara never asked to go home or stop coming, and Cat never ordered it, so the four of them went together, unknowingly looking like a regular modern family.

Their sixth and final class was held outside, where they were working on teaching the dogs to heel. Kara stood off to the side, not wanting to crowd Ellie and confuse her. The instructor came over and stood next to her after checking on each of the families. As they both observed the Grants, he said, "You and you're stepson have improved a lot over the last few weeks."

Kara choked on the air she'd been breathing. Coughing and spluttering, her eyes wide, she turned to the man and shook her head. "No, he's not—We're just—I'm, I'm her assistant." She pointed to Cat, who was looking over at them, eyes squinted in suspicion. Kara blanched, dropping her hand instantly and looking back at the dog trainer.

His eyebrows were raised in surprise. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."

"No, no, it's fine, you're fine." Kara really wished she had some water for her suddenly dry throat.

The instructor, looking awkward, moved to circulate between the families for a second time. Cat, after making sure Carter was comfortable with the exercise, made her way over to Kara. "Is everything alright?" she inquired, her tone fishing.

"Y-yeah. Of course. Everything's great." Kara fidgeted, shifting in place and avoiding Cat's eyes, her cheeks blazing.

"Hmm, so what were you two talking about that was so uncomfortable?"

Kara mentally cursed Cat's inability to ignore her own curiosity. Then she mentally apologized because she actually really admired that quality in her boss—when it wasn't being used against Kara, anyway.

"Oh, that. Just a little misunderstanding. It's … it's all cleared up now."

Cat's brow furrowed as Kara's tone grew strangely disappointed towards the end, but recognized that she wouldn't be getting anything else from her assistant. With a shrug of her shoulders she turned around and headed back over to her son.

Kara continued watching them for a while, smiling warmly at how happy Cat and Carter were together. Dammit, Kara wanted that, so much. And damn that dog trainer for bringing it to her attention. Heaving a sigh at her own hopelessness, she went over to join the Grants, determined to finally train that puppy.

 **I haven't actually been to a puppy training class for eleven years, and I won't be going again until this summer, so I've taken liberties with the mechanics. I'm sure it's relatively universal anyway.**

 **So for the next and final installment of the puppy series, I need you guys to help me pick a song that Kara will sing while holding a fully grown Ellie. (Or you can just tell me if you hate the idea. Really, I'm only here to please.) Your choices are: Waiting for Superman by Daughtry, One Call Away by Charlie Puth, or Heroes by Alesso. Or you can suggest something else. But you get the theme.**


	3. Puppy Sitting

**I know this took a while. I just started a new job and I've been mentally drained every day when I get home. But I wanted to get this out now, well a week ago actually, because I posted the first story when I found out I was getting a puppy, so it only seemed fitting to post the last one when I finally got him!**

 **All the thanks to SpaceshipsAreCool for going over this thing with me, and helping to make it into something coherent.**

Kara had been pacing back and forth in front of Cat's front door for several minutes, trying to work up the nerve to knock.

 _Maybe she changed her mind._

 **She would have at least told you.**

 _Maybe she asked someone else._

 **Who else could she ask?**

Feeling the buzz of her phone in her pocket, she pulled it out and saw a message from the woman herself. _Oh for the love of God, just come in already. The door is unlocked._

Kara blushed at the thought of Cat knowing how long she'd been standing out there, working up the courage to announce her presence, before another thought crossed her mind.

If Cat knew she was out there, why didn't she just let Kara in?

Reassured slightly by the idea that Cat was just as nervous as her, Kara opened the door and went inside.

Ellie was the first to greet her, all wagging tail and happy barks. Kara bent down to run her hands through the long golden fur. She looked around and spotted Cat in the living room with Carter, going over the list of everything they would need for their five day trip.

For his spring break this year Cat was taking Carter with her to London. She had a business meeting the first day, but the rest of their trip would be spent visiting historical landmarks and exploring the city. As Kara was the only person outside of his family Carter trusted to care for his dog, Cat had asked—demanded—that Kara housesit while they were gone. Kara, excellent at following Cat's orders, had readily agreed, eager to help and also to spend time with Ellie.

Cat avoided her eyes, staring at her phone as she listed off all of Kara's responsibilities for the next few days. Kara wasn't listening, her mind racing with anxiety over what had happened the night before. Not to mention she'd already heard this list half a dozen times in the last week, even though she'd memorized it after Cat's first explanation. She may or may not have spent the other times simply watching Cat's lips form words.

But now, instead of that beautiful distraction, her attention was solely diverted to thoughts of the conversation they desperately needed to have.

"Miss Grant, can we talk?" Kara asked while Carter was distracted saying goodbye to his dog.

"Not now, Keira. We're already running very late, thanks to you." In actuality they would be getting to the airport even earlier than Cat had intended. During her first few weeks at CatCo Kara had quickly learned that on time for Cat Grant meant much earlier than the time that was given. She liked to keep everyone around her on edge.

Kara had also learned that when her boss didn't want to talk about something, said thing would not be talked about.

When the Grants were gone and it was just her and Ellie, sleeping peacefully in her bed after her early morning walk, Kara looked around the empty living room and sighed. How was she supposed to forget what had happened when everything in this house reminded her of Cat?

The night before, Kara and Cat had attended a gala at Lord Technologies for the unveiling of his latest innovation for the city. Normally it was the assistant who attended these events with Cat, but seeing as the newest one had just been fired a few hours earlier, the job fell back to Kara. She didn't mind. Of course she loved her new position, but still Kara missed seeing Cat all the time, now that she had been promoted and moved to an office on the other side of the floor.

It was much the same as the many other similar events they had attended together, Kara shuffling along behind Cat and whispering the names of other attendees as they approached, pretending she wasn't at all affected when some of them were a bit too familiar with her boss.

Cat had had one too many glasses of champagne—she claimed this was in order to withstand the insufferable people who attended these parties, though Kara knew she was actually just nervous in crowds and the latest former-assistant had forgotten to give Cat her lexapro—and had insisted Kara accept a ride home in her town car.

"It's fine, Miss Grant. I can just get a cab, or walk. My apartment is completely out of your way."

Actually, seeing as she never ran out of energy and she didn't exactly have to worry about being mugged, Kara used to just walk home after these events. Once she became Supergirl she had taken to flying around the city a few times before heading home, possibly making a pass or several by Cat's house to make sure she had gotten home okay. But Cat wasn't supposed to know about any of that, and now that she knew how Kara planned to get home she explained that she couldn't allow a young woman to walk around the city alone at night, especially when there was a perfectly good car all ready to go.

"I pay him to drive me wherever I want, and there's not a chance I'm letting you get into a cab driven by some perverted stranger."

Kara's eyebrows rose, bemused as usual by Cat's dramatics. Still, flushing with pleasure at the display of protectiveness, she allowed the other woman to drag her by the wrist into the car, if only to revel in the feeling of Cat's skin against her own.

During the drive to Kara's apartment Cat once again went over the list of Kara's responsibilities for the days she and Carter would be gone, for the sixth time that week. Kara nodded along and responded appropriately in all the right places, though her concentration this time was actually out the window over Cat's shoulder, trying very hard not to stare at the generous amount of skin Cat's dress revealed.

Cat's voice softened as the car pulled onto Kara's street. "And Kara ..." Surprised by the slip, Kara's gaze was drawn back to Cat, though she was careful not to let her eyes wander away from Cat's. "Thank you very much for doing this." Kara gawped a little at the remarkable display of gratitude from the other woman. She knew it was only the champagne, but she felt something fluttering in her chest all the same. "You do too much for me," Cat whispered, and she was looking at Kara in a way the girl had only ever dreamed about. She wondered if this was actually a dream after all.

"It's nothing," Kara murmured in response, eyes shifting to her knees as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's not," Cat disagreed, and Kara's head shot back up at the unexpected proximity of the other woman's voice.

Cat leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her. A million thoughts of _finally_ and _is this happening?_ and _so soft_ ran through Kara's mind in an instant. Her eyes were just fluttering closed, her lips barely pressing back against Cat's, when the door behind her was pulled open.

The driver was a professional, standing off to the side so he would never see into the back of the car and invade his client's privacy, but still Cat pulled away sharply.

"Goodnight Keira," she said, facing the front of the car. She sounded one hundred percent sober now.

Kara wanted to say so many things, but all she could manage was a stuttered "goodnight," before she stumbled out of the car and watched as it drove away.

S

At ten months old, Ellie was a rather well behaved dog. She never jumped up on the furniture—though she did occasionally try to jump into people's arms as if she were still a puppy—she didn't chew on anything that wasn't hers, and she obeyed every command. Kara suspected Cat had more to do with her training then she let on.

The only thing the young golden retriever had a problem with was noise—anything from the vacuum cleaner to fireworks to thunderstorms. They all had her barking nonstop until the noise was gone. Carter would pet her and talk to her when it happened, and she usually calmed to a low whine.

Kara had assumed the dog had grown out of it, and since no one had told her otherwise, she was out flying when the storm hit. She knew it was coming and wanted to be ready to help when the inevitable car accidents and power-outage chaos occurred.

Nearly an hour later the rain had finally started to let up, and the thunder was slowly moving away from the city. Kara flew to the window of the guest room, opening it in half a second and slipping inside. Though the suit was thankfully water-repellant the rest of her was dripping wet, and she made a mental note to wipe down the floor before the puddles could leave any marks for Cat to find. She rang out her hair as best she could in the guest bathroom before pulling on some regular clothes. She was just starting to button her shirt over the suit when she heard a loud, distressed bark down the hall. A split second later she was in Carter's room and opening the dog's crate. Ellie hurried out and immediately jumped at Kara, who caught the sixty-five pound retriever like she weighed nothing more than a football.

"Hey, it's okay," she whispered to the frightened dog. "It's just thunder."

Ellie buried her wet nose in Kara's hair and whimpered pitifully. Holding the dog to her with one hand Kara tried not to laugh as she ran the other one through the long fur on her back. Kara rocked Ellie back and forth like she was soothing a baby, though she held the dog more like a koala. She remembered a song her mother used to sing to her as a little girl, one that never failed to calm her when she was frightened. Kara started singing it softly, the Kryptonese still falling easily from her tongue.

"Do you want some food?" she tried when the dog had stopped shivering, and Ellie's tail thumped once against her leg. "I know that always makes me feel better."

She bent to put the dog down, but sharp claws dug harder into the muscles of her shoulder and she immediately straightened up. "Shh, I got you."

Kara was actually kind of glad no one else was around. She got the puppy comments enough without anyone seeing her mothering an actual dog.

She started singing again as she made her way down the hall and out towards the kitchen. Ellie sniffed the air as they neared the living room, and started wiggling in Kara's arms. The superhero barely registered the difference; her grip didn't give even an inch.

It wasn't until they were in the room that she noticed the two people standing shell-shocked just a few feet away.

"K-Kara?"

Her arms slackened just enough for Ellie to jump down, completely oblivious to the tension in the room and running happily over to Carter. She tried to jump up into his arms as she had done with Kara, and nearly knocked him over. He kneeled down automatically to pet her, though his expression didn't change as he continued to stare at Kara in awe.

Kara realized in an instant what he saw. Long blonde hair free of any clips or ties; bright blue eyes no longer hidden behind large glasses; the symbol of the House of El underneath her unbuttoned Kara Danvers shirt, completely visible without Ellie to hide it. She remembered the song she'd been singing in her native tongue, a song they no doubt had heard.

Her wide eyes flitted from Carter to Cat to the dog. She was wholly unprepared for this situation.

Cat, however, had already recovered from the surprise of seeing Kara in such a state. "So, you're the reason she keeps jumping up." Her tone almost sounded bored, if not a little bit chiding.

"Uh, sorry?" Cat did not looked appeased. "So you're home early."

"Yes, well our original flight was delayed due to the storm, but thankfully I managed to get us seats on an earlier one." Kara shuddered to think of how much that cost, though she knew it was nothing to Cat. "That was a lovely song you were singing. I can take a guess at what language it was."

Kara looked down at the visible symbol on her chest again and winced at her carelessness.

Carter finally seemed to find his voice. "You're Supergirl?" he asked, awestruck.

"I," Kara's gaze shifted from Carter to Cat and back. "I am."

"How come you never told me?" he asked and for a rare moment he actually sounded like the thirteen-year-old boy that he was.

Kara had so many partial answers to that question, she didn't know which to give him. It could be dangerous knowing her secret sometimes. She couldn't tell him and then ask him to keep it a secret from his mother.

Finally she settled on, "Well I know how much you idolize her—me—Supergirl, and I wanted you to be my friend as just Kara."

Carter seemed surprised by this answer, clearly not expecting it."Of course I like you as Kara. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met." He hurried over and wrapped his arms around Kara in a hug that she eagerly returned, fighting the tears that pricked at her eyes. Cat stood by, watching the scene with an expression that could only be described as adoration.

Ellie, dissatisfied by the fact that everyone's attention was not on her and remembering Kara's earlier promise of food, ran into the kitchen and sat by her bowl. By now the thunder had faded into the distance, out of range of human ears and probably dogs' too. She barked happily, glad that her whole family was together again.

"Carter, go feed your dog and take her outside. Kara and I have a few things to discuss."

He looked like he was about to protest, but she gave him the Mom Look and his mouth snapped shut. He looked over to Kara one more time, expression brimming with a million questions, before he went to take care of his dog.

When the front door was shut firmly behind Carter and Ellie, Kara turned to Cat and started to say, "Miss Grant I can explain—" but the other woman quickly cut her off.

"About how you tricked me that night in my office?" Kara hung her head in shame. "Or should I say attempted to trick me?" Kara looked back up at her, confused. "You didn't honestly think I believed you, what with all the evidence to support my suspicions, and only one meager little alien trick to discount them?"

Kara knew she shouldn't have been surprised that Cat had known all along. She was Cat Grant after all, a relentless journalist intent on uncovering the truth. And it wasn't like Kara was exactly adept when it came to hiding it. Still, she had somehow managed to convince herself that Cat had bought the double act in her office all those months ago. She realized now how many hints Cat had been dropping about knowing her secret all along.

But Kara was also surprised with how okay she felt about Cat knowing. She felt relieved more than anything. With all the time she had been spending with her boss outside of work since Ellie's arrival, Kara realized she had come to trust Cat in a way she didn't the first time the woman discovered Kara's secret. "I'm sorry I lied." She held Cat's gaze so she could see how sincerely Kara meant what she said.

Cat seemed to think very hard about something for a long moment, and then she sighed and moved to sit on the couch. Kara followed her, settling down with nearly an entire cushion between them, still uncertain where things stood between them after the kiss.

"I understand why you didn't tell me. You weren't sure if I would keep your secret." Kara looked for a moment like she wanted to protest, but it wouldn't have been entirely honest. "I would have," Cat assured. "I will."

"And my job?" Kara asked uncertainly.

"Well seeing as how you went to all that trouble to keep it …" Cat's expression clearly said how much she didn't understand the appeal of a lowly assistant job over life as a full-time superhero, but she held her tongue. "I'm not going to fire you—so long as neither of your jobs interferes with the other."

Kara's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you, Miss Grant. I promise they won't."

Cat hesitated for another moment, looking … awkward? "And, about the other night," Kara felt her breath catch in her throat, "I'm sorry for what happened. I had too much champagne, though that's no excuse, and it won't happen again."

Kara was overwhelmed with despair for only a moment before a feeling of determination came over her. She gathered every ounce of courage in her body and said, "but what if I want it to?"

Cat opened her mouth to respond, then seemed to lose any grasp of the English language, and Kara could see the meaning of her words register on the other woman's face.

The unexpected sound of the front door opening—Carter and Ellie returning from their brief walk—instantly brought Cat and Kara to their feet. He hurried into the kitchen to put food in the dog dish before joining them in the living room.

Cat cut him off before he could start his inquisition. "Alright Carter, you still need to unpack and take a shower before bed. Say goodnight to Kara."

"But I have so many questions!" he argued, his attention on Kara.

"We can talk soon," she assured him, hoping Cat would agree to let her keep that promise.

"Okay. Goodnight, Kara," he muttered reluctantly.

"Night, buddy."

He headed off down the hall, shoulders slumped a little with disappointment. When it seemed like Cat was going to follow after him Kara reached out, wrapping her hand around Cat's and gently pulling her back. She leaned in part of the way and Cat gasped, so quietly that Kara wouldn't have been able to hear it if she were human.

Her nose just barely brushing against Cat's, Kara asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Cat stared into Kara's eyes for a moment, searching for something. She must have found whatever it was because then she was nodding, eyelids fluttering shut as Kara closed the rest of the distance between them.

Their second kiss was longer, deeper, though still not enough for either of their liking. Carter could be heard moving around in his bedroom, Ellie in the kitchen, and there was still a lot they needed to talk about.

"I should go help him," Cat murmured when they broke apart. Kara nodded, sad at the thought that she would have to leave. It must have shown on her face because then Cat said, "If you want to stay, we can finish our conversation when Carter's asleep."

Kara's smile was warm and hopeful. "I'd like that."

 **Ok so as the story formed and I went with the thunderstorm, I couldn't work in the song idea I mentioned last time. But I think I like this new angle better anyway.**

 **Thanks for exploring this weird little family with me, and for all the love this series has gotten!**


End file.
